Bryant suffered a number of accidents all through the season and consequently, missed 9 video games. The Lakers started the playoffs because the primary seed within the Western Conference against the Oklahoma City Thunder, eventually defeating them in six games. The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz within the second spherical and superior to the Western Conference Finals, the place they confronted Phoenix Suns.

Bryant had surgical procedure on April thirteen to repair the tear, and it was estimated he would miss six to nine months. He ended the season with customary averages of 27.three points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6 assists per recreation on forty six.3% capturing. The Lakers completed the season at 45–37, good for seventh within the West. Playing with out Bryant, the Lakers had been swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Bryant acquired experimental platelet-rich plasma remedy called Orthokine in Germany to treat the pain on his left knee and ankle, and Mike Brown replaced the retired Phil Jackson as coach of the Lakers in the offseason. Bryant began the season taking part in with an injured wrist.

There aren’t too many guys who get an opportunity to take a seat down, speak to Kobe and actually choose his mind, however I was afforded this privilege. It was an unbelievable learning expertise for me, to say the least. For all of the stories you hear about Kobe talking trash and demanding lots from his teammates, on many events he’s picked us up, too. He leads by example; nevertheless, you don’t hear about that a lot within the media. When I got traded to the Lakers in ’97, Kobe Bryant was just a rookie. We would play this shooting game daily after apply.

In the following season, the Lakers have been able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA championship. Bryant was arrested for sexual assault earlier than the season started. This caused Bryant to overlook some video games as a end result of court docket appearances or attend court docket earlier within the day and journey to play games in a while the identical day. In the ultimate game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers.

But Douglas-Roberts made an impression on Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford, who went on to be the pinnacle coach in Charlotte. He also caught the eye of his short-term teammate Bryant, who appreciated Douglas-Roberts' tenacity and willpower to improve—and openly offered secrets and techniques to success. Bryant has gained the post-Shaq title he needed in '09, and now it's a 12 months later and Bryant hopes to redeem the Lakers' '08 loss to Boston within the Finals and beat the Celtics in the '10 championship series. And with that gesture, the picture of Bryant and Leslie turns into a true portrait of him, not just one other snapshot of him in a profitable moment.

The group was touring to a basketball recreation on the Mamba Sports Academy. None of that would cease the 6-foot-6 taking pictures guard from becoming one of the biggest in the historical past of the sport, equally harmful driving to the basket or taking pictures from exterior. None of it could dull the sense of shock that came over Los Angeles, a city that grew to love him, when he died Sunday in a helicopter crash that also took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.

However, he performed within the season opener to begin his twentieth season with the Lakers, surpassing John Stockton's league report of 19 for probably the most seasons with the identical team. On November 24, 2015, the Lakers fell to 2–12 after dropping 111–77 to the Warriors. Bryant scored simply four points in 25 minutes on 1-for-14 taking pictures, matching the worst-shooting game of his career during which he attempted at least 5 shots. On December 1, 2015, Bryant performed his last sport in opposition to his hometown group, the Philadelphia 76ers, the place the Lakers lost 103–91. In the 2001–02 season, Bryant performed 80 video games for the primary time in his career.

His mother and father named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they noticed on a restaurant menu. His center name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". Bryant's family was Catholic and he was brought up with this faith. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault, with the alleged victim being a 19-year-old hotel employee.